Belize
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Belize: the Short Version
Day 1 (Mar 8):
Did: left Minn @ 730 am, departed Houston, after a 3 hr layover, @130 pm Arrived Belize City @ 400pm, stayed at Cahal Pech resort in San Ignacio because Crystal paradise was full for one night, had a drink from the bar, ate dinner, bed
Saw: Houses/shacks on stilts, poverty, loose dogs, Mayan mountains, different landscapes, night scenes.
Learned: Mar 9 is a holiday w/ a boat race (routa de Maya)
Ate: Panda express in Houston, Rice and Beans, coleslaw, Beef, Pineapple and pineapple chicken, fried plantain
Day 2 (Mar 9) Xunatunich and Cave River Tubing:
Did: Hiked Hills, climbed ruins, learned about the Maya, saw iguanas, rode in old vans without shocks over very bumpy roads, hiked in the sun, tubed down a river through caves after hiking through the jungle, rode tubes over little rapids in the dark caves making sure to pick up your butt so you didn’t hit the rocks, got cold in the caves, checked into crystal paradise, hiked down to the river and got “attacked” by a bat
Saw: Mayan temples at Xunatunich, Scenery, Blue Water, Complete darkness, black orchids, iguanas, Jungle
Learned: Mayans only sacrificed the elite/rich.
Ate: Pancakes, fresh squeezed OJ, Pineapple, papaya and cantaloupe, Tuna Sandwich, watermelon, cookies, chicken, rice, coleslaw
Day 3 (Mar 10): Tikal Day
Did: Drove in old vans, shopped, watched for jaguars, hiked through the jungles, climbed 140 steps to the top of the temple, got hot and sweaty, climbed dangerous scary steps
Saw: Coatimundi, watch for jaguar/snake/monkey signs, baby crocs, birds, toucans, Howler and Spider monkeys, temples, cotton trees, gum trees, poisonwood trees, skinny dogs and horses, zebu cattle, Guatemalan cowboys, jungle
Learned: Mayans predicted the end of the world to occur in 2012 and what they predicted is occurring only we call it global warming. They were great astronomers and medical people (they had strong surgical glue and were performing brain surgeries)
Ate: Papaya, eggs with egg plant, Tortillas with peanut butter, Grilled chicken with onions and French fries and rice, lemonade, OJ, Spaghetti, meat, salad, chips and salsa, Banana Bread
Day 4 (Mar 11) Market, butterfly farm, Mountain Pine Ridge/Big Rock falls
Did: Shopped in an open market in San Ignacio (a flea market basically), ate fresh bananas, toured a butterfly farm operated by a Dutch couple, had a butterfly land on my hand and shoulder, hiked through the jungle, walked into Rio Frio Cave, Ate lunch, Hiked down a dangerous, steep hill using a cable with a vinyl coating and the granite rocks that were sticking out everywhere, jumped off a small cliff, swam in the pools by big Rock Falls, stayed up late talking with people
Saw: fresh fruit, flea market, dog fight, butterflies (including the Blue Morpho), caterpillars, trees, Tapir print, cave, waterfall
Learned: The only suspension Bridge was built in 1949. Fish tail leaves are endangered so don’t buy them and don’t support that market; the Mayans used a wild Yam as a form of Birth control
Ate: Fry jacks (YUM!) eggs with pepper, watermelon, papaya juice, tuna Sandwich, Bananas, chicken, mashed potatoes, tortillas, chips with cheese sauce
Day 5 (mar 12): Canoe trip and Yal Bach
Did: Canoed Macal River, Stopped at a 5 star lodge for drinks (not a very good lemonade), waited around, Crossed a river ferry, drove far to Yal Bach, Played with/fed/pet “wild” spider monkeys, Hiked in the jungle got scared by Howler monkeys, watched the sun set, ate dinner, Night hike, got eaten by mosquitoes
Saw: Iguanas, Cattle, Horses, Iguana pooping in river, HUGE wasp, 5 star resort, Mennonite community, Monkeys, Jungle, Sunset, HUGE Spider, army ants
Learned: Cara Blanca is a big lagoon with lots of monkeys and crocs and other animals and I want to go there Peccary, or wild pigs, are really dangerous!
Ate: Tortillas, eggs, bacon, papaya, OJ, salad, chickenish rice, lemonade, chicken rice & beans, Tortillas
Day 6 (mar 13) Actun Tunich Machal Cave
Did: Jungle hike with 3 river crossings; swimming, rock climbing, crawling through tight spaces, slipping, climbing up walls (all with only the light on my helmet), walked around the cave in my socks, Most extreme cave tour I’ve ever done; laundry; packed, ate termites
Saw: Sharp rocks, lemon trees, termite mounds, Mayan ruins/artifacts/human remains, and turtle, snake, and cave formations, dark
Learned: Caves were significant to Maya since they signified the underworlds and where Chak the rain god lived. They performed blood letting and other rituals along with human sacrifice in hopes of rain.
Ate: Some veggie mix, tortillas, OJ, Ham sandwich, sausage, chips, pineapple, watermelon, orange, cookies, spaghetti, salad, Banana cake
Day 7: Zoo and Ambergris Caye Arrival
Did: Left crystal paradise and the jungle, stopped at the Belize zoo and tried to see everything in an hour, rode a puddle jumper, settled into our hotel in San Pedro, ate lunch, sunset sail with free (weak) Rum Punches, swam, got my hair braided so the salt water wouldn’t ruin it, ate a street vendor, explored
Saw: Lots of animals at the zoo, Pelicans, boats, Blue water, Cayes, Sunset, Reef edge, locals, street vendors, golf carts, and pool
Ate: Biscuits with jam, eggs, chicken quesadillas, hamburger
Day 8: all day at sea
Did: Rode a speedboat, searched for manatees, snorkeled in the second largest barrier reef in the world, sat on the beach, swam/snorkeled with sting rays and sharks, held a sea cucumber, walked Caye Caulker, got pizza and ice cream for dinner
Saw: manatees, sea turtles, rays, fish, coral, beaches, islands, blue water, cormorants, Pelicans, Pelicans diving for fish, Dolphins, Bat fish, sea cucumber, sea horses, Caye caulker, shops
Ate: fresh fruit, cinnamon roll, spicy chicken, spicy potatoes, spicy pasta salad, spicy mixed veggies, chocolate chip muffins, fresh pineapple, pepperoni pizza, chunky monkey ice-cream.
Day 9 (Mar 16): Free Day
Did: Rented bikes and rode from one end of the island to the other, almost got run over and almost fell into the ocean, got coffee, shopped, ate dinner
Saw: People, golf carts, bridges, dogs, pelicans, souvenirs, food, Pool, Sun
Ate: Iced Cappuccino (but a special recipe so it was better), oatmeal cookie, The BEST shrimp fajitas ever, Pineapple juice, shrimp cocktail and Tortilla chips
Day 10 (Mar 17): All day sail
Did: Sailing, lots of snorkeling, fishing, beach laying, beach cookout, Got sunburned and sea sick
Saw: Coral, colorful fish, puffer fish, pelicans, Herons, ocean, conch
Ate: fresh fruit, OJ, Amazing fish (grouper) and veggies and rice, ice-cream and sea food fritters
Day 11 (Mar 18): Free day/Baclar Chico
Did: Watched the sunrise, small group of us motor boated to Baclar Chico, awesome snorkel adventure, awesome lunch, walked down beach, motor boated back, laid and read book, shopped, beach barbeque for dinner, ice cream, card tricks, talked, packed, slept
Saw: coral, fish, squid, pretty shells, stores, rays, and people
Ate: fruit, rice, chicken, potatoes, chicken, salad, sausage, Tilapia with white sauce, Potato salad, coconut pastry, and Chocolate chip ice-cream.
Day 12 (Mar 19): Return trip
Did: sunrise, shell hunting, packing, picture taking, lunch, flew to Belize city in a puddle jumper, sat in airport for 3 hours, flew to Houston, cleared customs, flew to Minneapolis arrived at Minneapolis at 1155pm got home and in bed by about 3am.
Saw: Us leaving Belize, Airports
Day 1 Mar 8:
Our Flight left at 730 am so we had to be at the airport by 610 am which means
mat got me up at 400 am so we could leave at 445 am and get to the airport by 545 am.
Way too early for me! There were lots of problems getting in. first they couldn't find
my ticket registration, good thing our professor showed up and was able to prove that
I was registered for this flight. then there was a long line through security and for
whatever reason about half of our 37 people got selected for random screening which
by the time I got up there the guards were so sick of random screening people from the
same group he just did a quick random screening and let me go. We didn't have too long
to wait until we boarded the plane, which was nice since I was a little bit afraid about the flying
part. We had a layover in Houston and the flight to Houston took about 3 hrs. They showed a movie
but I wasn't watching it so I don't remember what it was. They also gave us some chocolate chip muffin
thing. The landing in Houston was really rough which was kind of scary. In Houston we had a 3 hour layover
which was really a long time when you’re excited to get somewhere. We ate lunch at panda Express in the airport and
just kind of hung out...had to dodge carts and it kind of reminded me of the zoo :) we left Houston at about 130 and the
flight to Belize city was about 2.5 hours We got peanuts on the flight which I thought most airlines weren't doing anymore
but I liked them. The flight was also a lot smoother than the flight to Houston. We got to Belize City around 4pm and walked
off the plane on stairs instead of the normal tunnel thing. It was HOT! I stupidly had left my jeans and sweatshirt on that I was wearing
when we left Minneapolis so I was roasting. The airport was really small and it took us awhile to get through immigration.
When we all finished we met the drivers who would be taking us to our hotel. Turns out where we were supposed to stay (Crystal Paradise)
was overbooked for one night so we were going to stay at another resort they owned (Cahal Pech-Place of ticks). They had brought a van and
a mini bus to take all 37 of us plus our luggage there and it was about a 3 hour drive. The roads in Belize are really bad. If they are paved they have
lots of pot holes and speed bumps. Apparently they don't believe in stop signs or lights so its kind of drive at your own risk. Most of the roads are two lanes and many times our drivers were passing large vehicles or a row of vehicles and that was a bit scary. Also the shocks were bad in all the vans we used over the course of the trip, which
made our many long drives in them very rough. If they went over a speed bump, no matter how slow, your head hit the ceiling. Driving was not very fun. Also while the landscape in Belize is very pretty, it is a very poor country so a lot of what I saw made me kind of sad. Many people lived in small shacks, some without doors, and all had chickens at least some had goats/horses/cow hanging out in the front yard. Kids
ran around with no shoes on and there were dogs everywhere, many very skinny. Over the course of the trip we were able to learn that while these people may be very poor they also were content. there is not the emphasis on material wealth there like there is here. During the drive to the resort in San Ignacio our driver
pointed out many things like the river (Belize River) where a world famous canoe race (Routa de Maya) is run every year and it had just finished the day prior to our arrival. Also he pointed out the best place to get ice cream and other sites of interest in San Ignacio. The hotel was pretty nice. We put 7 girls in one room but since it was just one night it didn't matter. there was a nice view out of our balcony that overlooked the city and the lights of the city. Since there wasn't really anything planned for that night we all kind of hung out by the pool and had a drink or two. (They make their drinks STRONG so it only took one drink for me!) Dinner was kind of buffet style and it wasn't very good (probably the worst meal we had). It was some kind of stringy beef (we think it was beef), some pineapple chicken, rice and beans (which we ate almost every day) and some not so good pineapple and fried plantains. It was food though. I went to bed pretty early that night because we had to be up early the next morning and I was tired from the plane
trip. Unfortunately it wasn't a peaceful sleep. The dogs in the village barked all night long, probably because they were being harassed by some of our group...and finally when the dogs quieted down...the birds started.
Day 2 Mar 9: Xunatunich, Cave river tubing, Move into crystal Paradise. The day began with a 7am breakfast which was ok. Pancakes, eggs and fruit plus some fresh squeezed OJ (YUM) we left Cahal Pech around 8am and our bags (for those of us who remembered to have them in the lobby by 730) would meet us at Crystal paradise later. Our first stop of the day was to The Mayan site Xunatunich (stone lady). In
order to get to the site we first had to cross the Mopan river by river ferry. The river ferry was literally a wood boat, wide enough for a car and some people, with a thatched roof covering and a cable and hand crank. It was interesting. The river was very pretty: Blue and clean and clear. There was some women doing laundry in the river. The guide said it was an "old fashioned" Mayan village and that is the way they still did laundry. There were also a lot of iguanas hanging out in the trees by the river. That was kind of cool. After the short ride across the river we were given the option of having the van drive us to the parking area (~1 mile) or we could walk it. We were all feeling pretty good so we decided we'd hike it.
Little did we know that it was a pretty strenuous 1 mile hike. First we had to climb a very large and very steep hill. That was rough. It was very hot and humid and it was a rough climb. A little relief at the top but then more hills and more heat. We were all pretty hot and tired when we reached the parking and meeting area, only to find out we still had about another 0.5 miles up to hike...and cars weren't allowed there. The Mayan site was amazing. We were the first group of the day there so it was pretty empty. Our guide taught us some things about the Mayan culture and its empire. Xunatunich was a pretty major city in the late part of Mayan times, only the elite lived there and were sacrificed. The rulers would climb to the top of El Castillo (which was the main ceremonial temple) to "talk" with the gods and determine who was to be sacrificed etc and a lot of other things about the Mayan people and culture. it was very interesting but very hard to sit and listen with the sun beating down on you. when he finished talking we w ere allowed to explore and climb the smaller temples and El Castillo. Climbing El Castillo was a bit scary. It was all original stone work and the stairs didn't have rails and the stairs were very large. I had to practically bring my knee to my chest to get to the next step. It was challenging but worth it! The view from the top was amazing!! You could see to neighboring Guatemala (granted we were only 15 miles from the border but still!) and into the mountains and forests. It was also cooler up top and nice to relax for awhile. Unfortunately we had to leave since a cruise ship group had just come in. The hike down was scarier and harder than the hike up!! We all made it down in one piece though but it took us a bit longer. The east and West side of the temple had some beautiful, world famous, stone work on each side which was also amazing to see. When we all got down our guide talked some more about the Maya. We saw a ball
court where they played a ceremonial game (usually with a rubber ball sometimes with human heads) that was similar to basketball and which the winners were usually honorably sacrificed and the loser were killed. We also saw some termite mounds, a "tourist" tree (which has red bark that flakes off when you touch it) and an allspice tree (the leaves smell really good and apparently have a numbing agent that natives use for teething babies and when boiled in a tea helps with menstrual cramps and PMS). We got back to the parking area and some people drove to the bottom but I walked since it was mostly downhill this time. We almost missed the ferry across but we saw a pretty big iguana that, after we took pictures, jumped into the water and swam across the river--he got to the other side before we did. We did some shopping in the local vendors stands. I didn't buy much though. Next, it was back in the scary vans for a trip to the park for lunch. Lunch consisted of tuna sandwiches, watermelon, soda and a cookie. The tuna tasted really different but it was good. After lunch it was, of course, back into the vans for a very long, bumpy, loud music blaring in my ear, drive to the Jaguar Paw resort where we were going to be doing some cave river tubing. Now from the sounds of it, one would assume that an activity like Cave river tubing would be a nice relaxing trip after a long hot morning in the sun. At least that's what I thought!! It started with a 45 min hike through the jungle, in our bathing suits, carrying a large inter tube and head lamp. The hike was very pretty at least. When we finally all got in the water and started our trip...it was right away into a dark cave. Our head lamps went on right away, since it was pretty dark, and almost immediately it got really cold. For some reason I got stuck in the slow part of the river and, while I had started out in front, all of a sudden I was in the back of 37 people, in the dark. This means that I had to start swimming a bit to keep up and make sure I didn't drift into some dark unknown part of the cave never to be found again. We were in the first cave for about 1 hour and I was freezing and a little sore and tired. We exited the first cave into
the warmth and sunlight only to see right away we would be heading into another cave! First, however, we had to ride our inter tubes over a small rapids! That was kind of a fun scary! We had to pick up our butts so they wouldn't hit the rocks and over we went...usually right into another person or into a rock (good thing to face forward so you could kick off the rock!) and then it was a bit of a challenge to get
back on course. The second cave was a bit shorter and really dark! There was one point where our guide made us turn off our headlamps so it was completely dark. You could hear water running in the cave and it was thought we were going to go through a water fall. When our headlamps got turned back on, however, we saw we were in a big, open, beautiful space in the cave which had the most beautiful, blue waterfall
running through it. There was another couple rapids after this...these ones in the dark! Then it was finally a relaxing drift down the river in the open air and sun. It was a little too late however since most of us were pretty cold by this time. It was a short hike back to our vans and then another long bumpy ride to Crystal
Paradise. Crystal Paradise was a very rustic and nice resort located about a 20 min van trip outside of the city of San Ignacio and nestled in the jungle next to the Macal river. It is all family owned and all of the rooms were thatch roof style huts. I got a big room and we had 7 people in it again. The bottom floor had 2 small beds and 1 double bed and the upstairs was the same arrangement. The bathroom was pretty big and it had an ok looking shower but taking a shower was kind of hit or miss on whether you would get hot water and decent pressure. outside of the rooms was a little thatched roof covered pavilion that had chairs and hammocks and was a good place to hang out and relax. After a shower and organizing my stuff it was
time for dinner. The "dining hall" was a thatched roof open air pavilion with a rock floor and it had long wood tables with table cloths. Our meals were all made by the women of the family that owned the resort and they worked in a normal sized kitchen and made all our meals fresh and from scratch. For dinner we had some kind of seasoned chicken, rice and beans (which tasted better/less bland if you put the broth from the chicken and some hot sauce on them) and some kind of coleslaw. Dessert was a spice cake. The resort had an open bar system, which I think ended up screwing them over because some people were on the trip for the wrong reason, but basically you just marked down what you had (soda/beer/mixed drink) and they charged you for it at the end. I was honest at least :) After dinner most of us sat around and talked but then some of us (me, a girl named Kindy and a guy named Jeff) decided we would hike down and try to find the river. After we got our flashlights and (useless) bug spray we started the hike down. First we had to go down a dirt path and then we thought we turned right and followed the road...turns out that was wrong
and we had to turn around and find the dirt path down to the river. The whole time we were talking about what we would do if we saw a jaguar (basically run or get eaten were the two options) and we made up all kinds of strange stories. It was fun. We hung out by the river for awhile talking about things when all of a sudden, out of no where, we were "attacked" by a bat! Ok, attacked maybe isn't the right word...it flew up out of no where right in between us/near us and touched me with its wing. We decided that was enough adventure for one night and headed back up to the lodge. We sat around a bit longer, talked and played the name game (where we quizzed each other on the people’s names that were out in the area with us). I met
Janet (She was the only one out there that none of us knew her name so I went and talked to her and asked her her name :) ) and we talked for awhile then decided we were all pretty tired and went to bed.
Day 3 (wow I’m only on day 3...9 more to go) Mar 10 Happy Tikal Day!
This was another very long but very amazing day! Breakfast was at 645 am and consisted of papaya (YUM), scrambled eggs with egg plant (not so good and looked like scrambled brains) and tortillas with peanut butter. Oh and fresh squeezed orange juice. Our vans left at 730 a.m. and it was a short ride to the Belize/Guatemala border but a long, long wait to get through immigration. We had different vans in Guatemala but they were just as bad and the roads also weren't any better. Guatemala is also a very poor country (poorer than Belize) So we saw a lot of poverty again. Reminded me of the part of Mexico I was in years ago. Saw lots of Zebu cattle and Guatemalan ranchers. Almost everyone had a horse and the horses were just bags of bones pretty much. It was very sad. some horses were free roaming while others were tied to rocks or trees with a rope. The landscape was also more dry and dusty than Belize but it was still pretty. We stopped at a park next to the second largest freshwater lake in Guatemala. It was pretty but you had to dodge the horses and horse poop to get up to the lake. We also stopped at a nice gift shop where I wish I would have bought something. I was under the impression that we would stop back later though and I wanted to save my money right then. It took us about 2 hours to get to the entrance of the "park". On the road to the parking area of Tikal there was a thick jungle and some watch for jaguars/tapirs/snakes/monkeys/turkey/deer signs. It was kind of amusing but we didn't see any of those things. We got to the parking area and stepped out of the vans and right there, scavenging in the leaves for food, was a pretty large Coatimundi!! We were able to get pretty close to him to take pictures. It was pretty cool!! We met our guide, Lewis, who was the most amazing and knowledgeable person I've ever met. this guy knew something about everything!! We were walking through the jungle and he’d be pointing out trees we could use to heal things or use as treatments. We started out by some ponds and inside the ponds were a couple baby crocs!! He (Lewis) said that a big one was probably near by but there were a bunch of school kids throwing rocks and the crocs so he was probably hiding. We then hiked a bit into the jungle and almost right away saw some Howler monkeys. It was pretty hot so they were being pretty lazy and not too exciting. Lewis tried to get them moving and doing stuff by banging the tree and making monkey noises…but they weren’t interested. We hiked further into the jungle and saw some spider monkeys swinging through the trees. They were too fast to get a picture of though. We stopped for a bathroom break and a rest and Lewis talked some about the Maya and their civilization. Some of it was stuff we’d heard the day before, but some was new. Mostly about the astronomy and mathematical calculations they made to predict the end of the world (2012) and how much of what they predicted (what we call global warming) is happening. It was kind of scary what he was talking about but I decided I can’t let it rule my life so I’m trying not to think too much about it. They were an amazing culture though! They invented a calendar that is more precise than our modern day one and the temples they built were built by calculating and using different astronomical natural things (like sunrises and sunsets or equinoxes etc.). It was so amazing to listen to him talk but he gave us so much information in such a short time it was impossible to absorb it all! I will definitely be reading more about the Maya though because I was so interested in everything. We hiked and finally got to the main acropolis center with some temples. There were two temples and a ceremonial center (? Not quite sure…) and some living quarters. There were also some basket weaver birds (? Not sure on this either) that were hanging out in the big tree and had beautiful basket type nests and if you got to close would hang upside down and make this very strange but oddly beautiful noise. It was fun. Lewis talked more about the temples and what we were seeing but I remember very little because it was hot, noisy and so much information!! We did some hiking around the area, saw some stone carvings of the different rulers of Tikal that had hieroglyphic writing explaining what the ruler did. There were also some stone carvings of the sun and rain gods. The Maya uncovered on of these every 42(?) years depending on what “age” they were in. We also explored the living quarters and it was really neat because in between the modern graffiti was ancient Maya graffiti! You could see where the original occupants had written out their life stories. It was amazing. Some people than hiked to the top of the East temple…however I was a wimp. The stairs were wooden planks spread between wooden handrails (think the ladder to the hay loft at the zoo) and there were at least 100 of these steps and they were steep and very scary… and I’m scared of heights and ladders so I stayed at the bottom. I kind of regret it but I was afraid of freaking out and you could only go one way on the steps so it was alright. Once everyone was down it was more hiking to the next temple. We saw some more spider monkeys and some more stone carvings. The next temple all of a sudden appeared out of the trees. It was the largest temple in Tikal and one of the largest Mayan temples in the world. Only about half of it (the top half) is excavated so a lot of it is still dirt and jungle. I did climb to the top of this one because, while the stairs were the same kind, they weren’t as steep and they set against the mound so it wasn’t open air, they weren’t quite as intimidating. The view from the top was spectacular and the view of the tops of the two temples sticking through the trees was actually used in the first Star Wars movie as the rebel base center. I thought that was cool. We hung out on top for awhile and then had to do the (scary) climb down. More hiking more temples. We were kind of rushed through the last part which is too bad. Our guide was convinced it was later than it was and people were started to whine about being hungry and complaining about the hiking and if “they saw another temple they were going to lose it”. It was too bad because I was really enjoying it. We did see a couple more temples with scary stairs so I didn’t climb them and a couple more living quarters but we didn’t get the same amount of time to explore and learn about them. We did some kind of extreme hiking through the jungle on a path that wasn’t really a path but a drainage type ditch. It was kind of neat. We saw a Toucan and he was very cute. We finally got to where we were eating “lunch” (it was about 430 pm) and when we sat down I realized I was hungry. I hadn’t been hungry before though. I had the best fresh squeezed lemonade and then an ok grilled chicken with onions, rice and fries. I did some shopping at the gift stands after lunch and bought a few things. I should have bought more because stuff was really cheap in Guatemala (7 quetzals to 1 US dollar) but I was still trying to save money. On the long drive back most people slept as much as was possible on the roads and in the van. They had dinner for us when we got back. It was spaghetti, meat, sauce, salad, chips and salsa, and banana bread. It was an amazing day and probably one of my favorites on the trip J IT was early to bed this day though.
Day 4 Mar 11: Market, Butterfly farm, Mountain Pine Ridge
Today was an easier day, which is good because I’m pretty sure most of the people would have complained if we had another day like Tikal. The morning started a little later. Breakfast was at 730 and consisted of Fry Jacks (kind of a fried pastry type thing…very good!), Watermelon, eggs w/ hot peppers, and papaya juice. After breakfast we went down to a little market in the town of San Ignacio. It was basically a big flea market/rummage/7 mile fair. Not many souvenirs so I didn’t buy anything but some Jams to bring back. Someone bought bananas, about a dozen of them for 1 Belize dollar ($0.50 US). They were very good. Someone also bought a pineapple which we ate that night. My friend Gina bought some Pineapple wine which was not very good. After the market we tried to stop for ice cream in the best ice cream place in the world…but it didn’t open until 430pm L we never did get ice cream. We went back to the lodge and had some time to change before we headed out to the butterfly farm. The butterfly farm was ok…nothing too spectacular. It was run by a Dutch couple who had spent many years in Belize doing different naturalist things and decided to do the butterfly thing. Something interesting-the guy designs and consults for many butterfly gardens in the US and all over the world…he was in charge of designing and supplying the butterfly pupa for the special exhibit that came to the Milwaukee zoo in 2000 (the one people still ask us about!) They gave us the guides that were given out at the zoo. I thought that was kind of neat. We listened to them talk about how they care for the caterpillars, it was interesting but too much detail to keep me interested. Then we walked through the butterfly house. There were lots of BEAUTIFUL butterflies and I had 2 land on me! That was fun. After the butterfly farm we had about a 45 min drive to Mountain Pine Ridge Park. Apparently about 5 years ago this park got infested with the pine beetle which has destroyed almost all of the Caribbean pines that were in the area, so the park is not as beautiful as it once was…but I still thought it was pretty. We went on a jungle hike which would have been better if I had worn my tennis shoes instead of my sandals, since most jungle hikes are over rocks and tree stumps and up hills. Also it would have been better if I didn’t get stuck in back by the obnoxious people who didn’t want to be hiking and were talking loud and throwing things into the forest. I couldn’t really hear anything the guide was saying which was too bad. Really the only thing I heard/learned was that the Mayans had used a type of wild yam as a form of birth control and pharmaceutical companies have synthesized the active ingredient and use it for modern day birth control. We also saw a Tapir print (but no Tapir) and a fruit bat eating area. At the end of our hike was Rio Frio Cave. Belize is well known for their extensive cave system and Rio Frio Cave I guess is also somewhat famous, although I didn’t think it was that impressive. We were able to walk in and see the other side right away. It was still pretty nice though. Cool and there were some neat formations. We only spent about 10 minutes in the cave and then it was drive to the lunch area. Our lunch area overlooked Rio Frio Pools which I guess is where most people come to go swimming but we weren’t going there. It was very pretty! Lunch was the same as before, tuna or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a soda. No fruit or cookies this time though. After lunch it was a short drive to the parking area for big rock falls. We got out and were told we would have to take a pretty scary hike down to big rock falls. They weren’t lying. First we had to walk on a narrow path, over rocks and tree stumps and then it was the hill. The hill we had to climb down was very steep, pretty much straight down, and it was sandy with sporadic granite rocks jutting out. In order to get down we had to use a large cable that was coated with a vinyl. It was pretty scary. Once down to the falls, we had to jump from slippery granite rock to slippery granite rock to get to a location where we could put our stuff and get into the water. To safely get into the water we had to jump off of a small cliff. The water was pretty deep and the only place to stand was on slippery granite rocks so it was a bit challenging. There were two “pools” that we could swim in. The first one was the one we entered by jumping in, then we could swim across to the other one that was right next to the water fall. The pools were divided by a small “rapid” type falls which we were told not to slide down but people didn’t listen. If we wanted to, we could climb a vertical rock wall and up a short path and then jump off the cliff next to the falls, make sure to jump out far enough to miss the rock at the bottom, into the water. I kind of wanted to, but again, My sandals just were not the best so I stayed in the pool and watched everyone else jump. We spent about 2.5 hours there and then had to climb back up to the vans. This time it was harder going up than getting down. About 1.5 hours back to the resort and it was time for dinner. Another very good meal: Some kind of chicken, fresh tortillas, mashed potatoes, and chips with cheese sauce. Pretty much everyone went into town to go to the clubs this night, but I’m a bum so I stayed back with a couple other people and we talked and traded work stories. I’m kind of glad I stayed back because the earliest van got back at 4 am and most people didn’t seem to have a very good time.
Day 5: Mar 12 Canoe trip and Yal Bac day
We had the opportunity to sleep in until 730 today, but instead, we were awoken and 6am by some LOUD, OBNOXIOUS sounding crow x alarm clock bird. It was so obnoxious. Breakfast was at 745 and was very good bacon, normal scrambled eggs and tortillas. The original plan for the day was for everyone to get into a canoe and canoe 45 minutes UP RIVER to some resort, rest and then float back down stream. The owners of the resort laughed at our professor and instead drove us upstream and brought the canoes to us and then we went down river instead. Also it was a longer trip this way. It was 3 people to a canoe and since I’d never really been canoeing before I got to sit and relax in the middle. The canoe trip was pretty fun! We saw some iguanas and lots of bugs. We had to go over a couple little rapids and during one trip down a rapids our canoe turned sideways and while Gina and Liz were trying to get it going the right direction again we crashed into some trees on the bank! Our canoe almost tipped but luckily it was saved and we got out of the trees and were covered in little bugs and spiders. It was really scary but once we recovered, it was really funny! We survived all the rest of the rapids with few problems. We stopped at 5 star honeymoon resort and got some drinks and took a rest. I had a really nasty lemonade that was really just Fanta and lemon juice. We hung out there and did some swimming for about 1.5 hours and then had to continue on towards the resort. The rest of the canoe trip was about the same, more rapids, some rocks and lots of sun and heat. We got back and actually had a real, non sandwich lunch. It was some kind of rice, salad and good lemonade. We were given options then about what we were going to do the rest of the day. Some people went horseback riding and some people just stayed and hung out at the resort but me and 7 other people decided we were going to go out to a place called Yal Bac which was a much more rugged, not completely built yet, in the middle of the jungle Lodge that the owners were working on. In order to keep the group small and consisting of people our professor wanted to go, he lied and told everyone there were no bathrooms when really there were full functioning bathrooms. We left about 330 and it was about an hour drive out there, during which time we drove through the Mennonite community and also got to cross on another primitive river ferry. The roads were the worst out here and it was a rough ride but when we got there we were greeted by two little…spider monkeys! We were told beforehand that these little monkeys often interacted with the guests and they weren’t lying. After we got set up and sat down the little female monkey came to check us out. She was a little unsure at first but then Victor (the owner) got us some tortillas and once we fed her she was our best friend. We could touch her and she would come right up near us and she even climbed on my friend Jeff’s shoulder and hung out there. She was also a big show off. The male one never quite got comfortable with us. After we sat around for a bit and listened to the seemingly millions of howler monkeys we decided it was time to go for a hike and see if we could find them. We started down the road and turned off on this mowed path we were told to follow…except the mowed path was only about 100 feet and then it was into the deep dark jungle with only slight evidence of a path. We decided to follow it anyway and the howler monkeys kept getting louder and louder…they are horrible sounding and we were reminded of the movie Congo or something…it reminded me of a bad dream. Unfortunately me and 3 other people wimped out when the path disappeared completely and it was getting darker and the monkeys were getting louder and none of us really knew what to do if we encountered a snake/jaguar/peccary/howler monkey. But two of the boys kept going so we waited for them and as they got closer the monkeys got angrier and angrier sounding. They did find the monkeys and they said it was pretty intense and that the monkeys were barking and throwing things at them and started to get a little close so they left…which was probably wise. I wish I would have gone but I’m pretty sure that would have been too intense for me. We got back and sat around talking and playing with the nice spider monkeys until supper. Supper was the same as we’d had the first night there, chicken, rice, tortillas and some salad I think. After dinner we went out for a short night hike. We were hoping to see some jaguars or a tapir or something cool…but all we saw was a tarantula and some army ants. The guide that was taking us, Manuel, was talking to me the entire time in Spanish (since I had told him I spoke a little Spanish) at first it was a regular conversation, like I had been taught in Spanish class…then it turned pretty deep. He started talking about how his father died when he was 2 and how they had to flee El Salvador due to a civil war and when he was 8 years old he had to stop going to school and work so he could support his family…and lots of things like that and that was only the parts I could understand! My Spanish training did not prepare me for that….I’m not even sure I would have known how to respond in English. It was very sad and I felt very bad walking and talking with him and having him ask me things like what countries I’ve been to and school and stuff. It felt wrong to talk about everything I had and had done when he had so little. After the walk we were all pretty tired but we sat around talking for awhile and then some of us headed to bed. One of our guys fell asleep in the hammock in the pavilion and was awoken later by female spider monkey trying to crawl into the hammock with him. It was an entertaining story the next morning J
You have two options:
Belize: the Short Version
Day 1 (Mar 8):
Did: left Minn @ 730 am, departed Houston, after a 3 hr layover, @130 pm Arrived Belize City @ 400pm, stayed at Cahal Pech resort in San Ignacio because Crystal paradise was full for one night, had a drink from the bar, ate dinner, bed
Saw: Houses/shacks on stilts, poverty, loose dogs, Mayan mountains, different landscapes, night scenes.
Learned: Mar 9 is a holiday w/ a boat race (routa de Maya)
Ate: Panda express in Houston, Rice and Beans, coleslaw, Beef, Pineapple and pineapple chicken, fried plantain
Day 2 (Mar 9) Xunatunich and Cave River Tubing:
Did: Hiked Hills, climbed ruins, learned about the Maya, saw iguanas, rode in old vans without shocks over very bumpy roads, hiked in the sun, tubed down a river through caves after hiking through the jungle, rode tubes over little rapids in the dark caves making sure to pick up your butt so you didn’t hit the rocks, got cold in the caves, checked into crystal paradise, hiked down to the river and got “attacked” by a bat
Saw: Mayan temples at Xunatunich, Scenery, Blue Water, Complete darkness, black orchids, iguanas, Jungle
Learned: Mayans only sacrificed the elite/rich.
Ate: Pancakes, fresh squeezed OJ, Pineapple, papaya and cantaloupe, Tuna Sandwich, watermelon, cookies, chicken, rice, coleslaw
Day 3 (Mar 10): Tikal Day
Did: Drove in old vans, shopped, watched for jaguars, hiked through the jungles, climbed 140 steps to the top of the temple, got hot and sweaty, climbed dangerous scary steps
Saw: Coatimundi, watch for jaguar/snake/monkey signs, baby crocs, birds, toucans, Howler and Spider monkeys, temples, cotton trees, gum trees, poisonwood trees, skinny dogs and horses, zebu cattle, Guatemalan cowboys, jungle
Learned: Mayans predicted the end of the world to occur in 2012 and what they predicted is occurring only we call it global warming. They were great astronomers and medical people (they had strong surgical glue and were performing brain surgeries)
Ate: Papaya, eggs with egg plant, Tortillas with peanut butter, Grilled chicken with onions and French fries and rice, lemonade, OJ, Spaghetti, meat, salad, chips and salsa, Banana Bread
Day 4 (Mar 11) Market, butterfly farm, Mountain Pine Ridge/Big Rock falls
Did: Shopped in an open market in San Ignacio (a flea market basically), ate fresh bananas, toured a butterfly farm operated by a Dutch couple, had a butterfly land on my hand and shoulder, hiked through the jungle, walked into Rio Frio Cave, Ate lunch, Hiked down a dangerous, steep hill using a cable with a vinyl coating and the granite rocks that were sticking out everywhere, jumped off a small cliff, swam in the pools by big Rock Falls, stayed up late talking with people
Saw: fresh fruit, flea market, dog fight, butterflies (including the Blue Morpho), caterpillars, trees, Tapir print, cave, waterfall
Learned: The only suspension Bridge was built in 1949. Fish tail leaves are endangered so don’t buy them and don’t support that market; the Mayans used a wild Yam as a form of Birth control
Ate: Fry jacks (YUM!) eggs with pepper, watermelon, papaya juice, tuna Sandwich, Bananas, chicken, mashed potatoes, tortillas, chips with cheese sauce
Day 5 (mar 12): Canoe trip and Yal Bach
Did: Canoed Macal River, Stopped at a 5 star lodge for drinks (not a very good lemonade), waited around, Crossed a river ferry, drove far to Yal Bach, Played with/fed/pet “wild” spider monkeys, Hiked in the jungle got scared by Howler monkeys, watched the sun set, ate dinner, Night hike, got eaten by mosquitoes
Saw: Iguanas, Cattle, Horses, Iguana pooping in river, HUGE wasp, 5 star resort, Mennonite community, Monkeys, Jungle, Sunset, HUGE Spider, army ants
Learned: Cara Blanca is a big lagoon with lots of monkeys and crocs and other animals and I want to go there Peccary, or wild pigs, are really dangerous!
Ate: Tortillas, eggs, bacon, papaya, OJ, salad, chickenish rice, lemonade, chicken rice & beans, Tortillas
Day 6 (mar 13) Actun Tunich Machal Cave
Did: Jungle hike with 3 river crossings; swimming, rock climbing, crawling through tight spaces, slipping, climbing up walls (all with only the light on my helmet), walked around the cave in my socks, Most extreme cave tour I’ve ever done; laundry; packed, ate termites
Saw: Sharp rocks, lemon trees, termite mounds, Mayan ruins/artifacts/human remains, and turtle, snake, and cave formations, dark
Learned: Caves were significant to Maya since they signified the underworlds and where Chak the rain god lived. They performed blood letting and other rituals along with human sacrifice in hopes of rain.
Ate: Some veggie mix, tortillas, OJ, Ham sandwich, sausage, chips, pineapple, watermelon, orange, cookies, spaghetti, salad, Banana cake
Day 7: Zoo and Ambergris Caye Arrival
Did: Left crystal paradise and the jungle, stopped at the Belize zoo and tried to see everything in an hour, rode a puddle jumper, settled into our hotel in San Pedro, ate lunch, sunset sail with free (weak) Rum Punches, swam, got my hair braided so the salt water wouldn’t ruin it, ate a street vendor, explored
Saw: Lots of animals at the zoo, Pelicans, boats, Blue water, Cayes, Sunset, Reef edge, locals, street vendors, golf carts, and pool
Ate: Biscuits with jam, eggs, chicken quesadillas, hamburger
Day 8: all day at sea
Did: Rode a speedboat, searched for manatees, snorkeled in the second largest barrier reef in the world, sat on the beach, swam/snorkeled with sting rays and sharks, held a sea cucumber, walked Caye Caulker, got pizza and ice cream for dinner
Saw: manatees, sea turtles, rays, fish, coral, beaches, islands, blue water, cormorants, Pelicans, Pelicans diving for fish, Dolphins, Bat fish, sea cucumber, sea horses, Caye caulker, shops
Ate: fresh fruit, cinnamon roll, spicy chicken, spicy potatoes, spicy pasta salad, spicy mixed veggies, chocolate chip muffins, fresh pineapple, pepperoni pizza, chunky monkey ice-cream.
Day 9 (Mar 16): Free Day
Did: Rented bikes and rode from one end of the island to the other, almost got run over and almost fell into the ocean, got coffee, shopped, ate dinner
Saw: People, golf carts, bridges, dogs, pelicans, souvenirs, food, Pool, Sun
Ate: Iced Cappuccino (but a special recipe so it was better), oatmeal cookie, The BEST shrimp fajitas ever, Pineapple juice, shrimp cocktail and Tortilla chips
Day 10 (Mar 17): All day sail
Did: Sailing, lots of snorkeling, fishing, beach laying, beach cookout, Got sunburned and sea sick
Saw: Coral, colorful fish, puffer fish, pelicans, Herons, ocean, conch
Ate: fresh fruit, OJ, Amazing fish (grouper) and veggies and rice, ice-cream and sea food fritters
Day 11 (Mar 18): Free day/Baclar Chico
Did: Watched the sunrise, small group of us motor boated to Baclar Chico, awesome snorkel adventure, awesome lunch, walked down beach, motor boated back, laid and read book, shopped, beach barbeque for dinner, ice cream, card tricks, talked, packed, slept
Saw: coral, fish, squid, pretty shells, stores, rays, and people
Ate: fruit, rice, chicken, potatoes, chicken, salad, sausage, Tilapia with white sauce, Potato salad, coconut pastry, and Chocolate chip ice-cream.
Day 12 (Mar 19): Return trip
Did: sunrise, shell hunting, packing, picture taking, lunch, flew to Belize city in a puddle jumper, sat in airport for 3 hours, flew to Houston, cleared customs, flew to Minneapolis arrived at Minneapolis at 1155pm got home and in bed by about 3am.
Saw: Us leaving Belize, Airports
Day 1 Mar 8:
Our Flight left at 730 am so we had to be at the airport by 610 am which means
mat got me up at 400 am so we could leave at 445 am and get to the airport by 545 am.
Way too early for me! There were lots of problems getting in. first they couldn't find
my ticket registration, good thing our professor showed up and was able to prove that
I was registered for this flight. then there was a long line through security and for
whatever reason about half of our 37 people got selected for random screening which
by the time I got up there the guards were so sick of random screening people from the
same group he just did a quick random screening and let me go. We didn't have too long
to wait until we boarded the plane, which was nice since I was a little bit afraid about the flying
part. We had a layover in Houston and the flight to Houston took about 3 hrs. They showed a movie
but I wasn't watching it so I don't remember what it was. They also gave us some chocolate chip muffin
thing. The landing in Houston was really rough which was kind of scary. In Houston we had a 3 hour layover
which was really a long time when you’re excited to get somewhere. We ate lunch at panda Express in the airport and
just kind of hung out...had to dodge carts and it kind of reminded me of the zoo :) we left Houston at about 130 and the
flight to Belize city was about 2.5 hours We got peanuts on the flight which I thought most airlines weren't doing anymore
but I liked them. The flight was also a lot smoother than the flight to Houston. We got to Belize City around 4pm and walked
off the plane on stairs instead of the normal tunnel thing. It was HOT! I stupidly had left my jeans and sweatshirt on that I was wearing
when we left Minneapolis so I was roasting. The airport was really small and it took us awhile to get through immigration.
When we all finished we met the drivers who would be taking us to our hotel. Turns out where we were supposed to stay (Crystal Paradise)
was overbooked for one night so we were going to stay at another resort they owned (Cahal Pech-Place of ticks). They had brought a van and
a mini bus to take all 37 of us plus our luggage there and it was about a 3 hour drive. The roads in Belize are really bad. If they are paved they have
lots of pot holes and speed bumps. Apparently they don't believe in stop signs or lights so its kind of drive at your own risk. Most of the roads are two lanes and many times our drivers were passing large vehicles or a row of vehicles and that was a bit scary. Also the shocks were bad in all the vans we used over the course of the trip, which
made our many long drives in them very rough. If they went over a speed bump, no matter how slow, your head hit the ceiling. Driving was not very fun. Also while the landscape in Belize is very pretty, it is a very poor country so a lot of what I saw made me kind of sad. Many people lived in small shacks, some without doors, and all had chickens at least some had goats/horses/cow hanging out in the front yard. Kids
ran around with no shoes on and there were dogs everywhere, many very skinny. Over the course of the trip we were able to learn that while these people may be very poor they also were content. there is not the emphasis on material wealth there like there is here. During the drive to the resort in San Ignacio our driver
pointed out many things like the river (Belize River) where a world famous canoe race (Routa de Maya) is run every year and it had just finished the day prior to our arrival. Also he pointed out the best place to get ice cream and other sites of interest in San Ignacio. The hotel was pretty nice. We put 7 girls in one room but since it was just one night it didn't matter. there was a nice view out of our balcony that overlooked the city and the lights of the city. Since there wasn't really anything planned for that night we all kind of hung out by the pool and had a drink or two. (They make their drinks STRONG so it only took one drink for me!) Dinner was kind of buffet style and it wasn't very good (probably the worst meal we had). It was some kind of stringy beef (we think it was beef), some pineapple chicken, rice and beans (which we ate almost every day) and some not so good pineapple and fried plantains. It was food though. I went to bed pretty early that night because we had to be up early the next morning and I was tired from the plane
trip. Unfortunately it wasn't a peaceful sleep. The dogs in the village barked all night long, probably because they were being harassed by some of our group...and finally when the dogs quieted down...the birds started.
Day 2 Mar 9: Xunatunich, Cave river tubing, Move into crystal Paradise. The day began with a 7am breakfast which was ok. Pancakes, eggs and fruit plus some fresh squeezed OJ (YUM) we left Cahal Pech around 8am and our bags (for those of us who remembered to have them in the lobby by 730) would meet us at Crystal paradise later. Our first stop of the day was to The Mayan site Xunatunich (stone lady). In
order to get to the site we first had to cross the Mopan river by river ferry. The river ferry was literally a wood boat, wide enough for a car and some people, with a thatched roof covering and a cable and hand crank. It was interesting. The river was very pretty: Blue and clean and clear. There was some women doing laundry in the river. The guide said it was an "old fashioned" Mayan village and that is the way they still did laundry. There were also a lot of iguanas hanging out in the trees by the river. That was kind of cool. After the short ride across the river we were given the option of having the van drive us to the parking area (~1 mile) or we could walk it. We were all feeling pretty good so we decided we'd hike it.
Little did we know that it was a pretty strenuous 1 mile hike. First we had to climb a very large and very steep hill. That was rough. It was very hot and humid and it was a rough climb. A little relief at the top but then more hills and more heat. We were all pretty hot and tired when we reached the parking and meeting area, only to find out we still had about another 0.5 miles up to hike...and cars weren't allowed there. The Mayan site was amazing. We were the first group of the day there so it was pretty empty. Our guide taught us some things about the Mayan culture and its empire. Xunatunich was a pretty major city in the late part of Mayan times, only the elite lived there and were sacrificed. The rulers would climb to the top of El Castillo (which was the main ceremonial temple) to "talk" with the gods and determine who was to be sacrificed etc and a lot of other things about the Mayan people and culture. it was very interesting but very hard to sit and listen with the sun beating down on you. when he finished talking we w ere allowed to explore and climb the smaller temples and El Castillo. Climbing El Castillo was a bit scary. It was all original stone work and the stairs didn't have rails and the stairs were very large. I had to practically bring my knee to my chest to get to the next step. It was challenging but worth it! The view from the top was amazing!! You could see to neighboring Guatemala (granted we were only 15 miles from the border but still!) and into the mountains and forests. It was also cooler up top and nice to relax for awhile. Unfortunately we had to leave since a cruise ship group had just come in. The hike down was scarier and harder than the hike up!! We all made it down in one piece though but it took us a bit longer. The east and West side of the temple had some beautiful, world famous, stone work on each side which was also amazing to see. When we all got down our guide talked some more about the Maya. We saw a ball
court where they played a ceremonial game (usually with a rubber ball sometimes with human heads) that was similar to basketball and which the winners were usually honorably sacrificed and the loser were killed. We also saw some termite mounds, a "tourist" tree (which has red bark that flakes off when you touch it) and an allspice tree (the leaves smell really good and apparently have a numbing agent that natives use for teething babies and when boiled in a tea helps with menstrual cramps and PMS). We got back to the parking area and some people drove to the bottom but I walked since it was mostly downhill this time. We almost missed the ferry across but we saw a pretty big iguana that, after we took pictures, jumped into the water and swam across the river--he got to the other side before we did. We did some shopping in the local vendors stands. I didn't buy much though. Next, it was back in the scary vans for a trip to the park for lunch. Lunch consisted of tuna sandwiches, watermelon, soda and a cookie. The tuna tasted really different but it was good. After lunch it was, of course, back into the vans for a very long, bumpy, loud music blaring in my ear, drive to the Jaguar Paw resort where we were going to be doing some cave river tubing. Now from the sounds of it, one would assume that an activity like Cave river tubing would be a nice relaxing trip after a long hot morning in the sun. At least that's what I thought!! It started with a 45 min hike through the jungle, in our bathing suits, carrying a large inter tube and head lamp. The hike was very pretty at least. When we finally all got in the water and started our trip...it was right away into a dark cave. Our head lamps went on right away, since it was pretty dark, and almost immediately it got really cold. For some reason I got stuck in the slow part of the river and, while I had started out in front, all of a sudden I was in the back of 37 people, in the dark. This means that I had to start swimming a bit to keep up and make sure I didn't drift into some dark unknown part of the cave never to be found again. We were in the first cave for about 1 hour and I was freezing and a little sore and tired. We exited the first cave into
the warmth and sunlight only to see right away we would be heading into another cave! First, however, we had to ride our inter tubes over a small rapids! That was kind of a fun scary! We had to pick up our butts so they wouldn't hit the rocks and over we went...usually right into another person or into a rock (good thing to face forward so you could kick off the rock!) and then it was a bit of a challenge to get
back on course. The second cave was a bit shorter and really dark! There was one point where our guide made us turn off our headlamps so it was completely dark. You could hear water running in the cave and it was thought we were going to go through a water fall. When our headlamps got turned back on, however, we saw we were in a big, open, beautiful space in the cave which had the most beautiful, blue waterfall
running through it. There was another couple rapids after this...these ones in the dark! Then it was finally a relaxing drift down the river in the open air and sun. It was a little too late however since most of us were pretty cold by this time. It was a short hike back to our vans and then another long bumpy ride to Crystal
Paradise. Crystal Paradise was a very rustic and nice resort located about a 20 min van trip outside of the city of San Ignacio and nestled in the jungle next to the Macal river. It is all family owned and all of the rooms were thatch roof style huts. I got a big room and we had 7 people in it again. The bottom floor had 2 small beds and 1 double bed and the upstairs was the same arrangement. The bathroom was pretty big and it had an ok looking shower but taking a shower was kind of hit or miss on whether you would get hot water and decent pressure. outside of the rooms was a little thatched roof covered pavilion that had chairs and hammocks and was a good place to hang out and relax. After a shower and organizing my stuff it was
time for dinner. The "dining hall" was a thatched roof open air pavilion with a rock floor and it had long wood tables with table cloths. Our meals were all made by the women of the family that owned the resort and they worked in a normal sized kitchen and made all our meals fresh and from scratch. For dinner we had some kind of seasoned chicken, rice and beans (which tasted better/less bland if you put the broth from the chicken and some hot sauce on them) and some kind of coleslaw. Dessert was a spice cake. The resort had an open bar system, which I think ended up screwing them over because some people were on the trip for the wrong reason, but basically you just marked down what you had (soda/beer/mixed drink) and they charged you for it at the end. I was honest at least :) After dinner most of us sat around and talked but then some of us (me, a girl named Kindy and a guy named Jeff) decided we would hike down and try to find the river. After we got our flashlights and (useless) bug spray we started the hike down. First we had to go down a dirt path and then we thought we turned right and followed the road...turns out that was wrong
and we had to turn around and find the dirt path down to the river. The whole time we were talking about what we would do if we saw a jaguar (basically run or get eaten were the two options) and we made up all kinds of strange stories. It was fun. We hung out by the river for awhile talking about things when all of a sudden, out of no where, we were "attacked" by a bat! Ok, attacked maybe isn't the right word...it flew up out of no where right in between us/near us and touched me with its wing. We decided that was enough adventure for one night and headed back up to the lodge. We sat around a bit longer, talked and played the name game (where we quizzed each other on the people’s names that were out in the area with us). I met
Janet (She was the only one out there that none of us knew her name so I went and talked to her and asked her her name :) ) and we talked for awhile then decided we were all pretty tired and went to bed.
Day 3 (wow I’m only on day 3...9 more to go) Mar 10 Happy Tikal Day!
This was another very long but very amazing day! Breakfast was at 645 am and consisted of papaya (YUM), scrambled eggs with egg plant (not so good and looked like scrambled brains) and tortillas with peanut butter. Oh and fresh squeezed orange juice. Our vans left at 730 a.m. and it was a short ride to the Belize/Guatemala border but a long, long wait to get through immigration. We had different vans in Guatemala but they were just as bad and the roads also weren't any better. Guatemala is also a very poor country (poorer than Belize) So we saw a lot of poverty again. Reminded me of the part of Mexico I was in years ago. Saw lots of Zebu cattle and Guatemalan ranchers. Almost everyone had a horse and the horses were just bags of bones pretty much. It was very sad. some horses were free roaming while others were tied to rocks or trees with a rope. The landscape was also more dry and dusty than Belize but it was still pretty. We stopped at a park next to the second largest freshwater lake in Guatemala. It was pretty but you had to dodge the horses and horse poop to get up to the lake. We also stopped at a nice gift shop where I wish I would have bought something. I was under the impression that we would stop back later though and I wanted to save my money right then. It took us about 2 hours to get to the entrance of the "park". On the road to the parking area of Tikal there was a thick jungle and some watch for jaguars/tapirs/snakes/monkeys/turkey/deer signs. It was kind of amusing but we didn't see any of those things. We got to the parking area and stepped out of the vans and right there, scavenging in the leaves for food, was a pretty large Coatimundi!! We were able to get pretty close to him to take pictures. It was pretty cool!! We met our guide, Lewis, who was the most amazing and knowledgeable person I've ever met. this guy knew something about everything!! We were walking through the jungle and he’d be pointing out trees we could use to heal things or use as treatments. We started out by some ponds and inside the ponds were a couple baby crocs!! He (Lewis) said that a big one was probably near by but there were a bunch of school kids throwing rocks and the crocs so he was probably hiding. We then hiked a bit into the jungle and almost right away saw some Howler monkeys. It was pretty hot so they were being pretty lazy and not too exciting. Lewis tried to get them moving and doing stuff by banging the tree and making monkey noises…but they weren’t interested. We hiked further into the jungle and saw some spider monkeys swinging through the trees. They were too fast to get a picture of though. We stopped for a bathroom break and a rest and Lewis talked some about the Maya and their civilization. Some of it was stuff we’d heard the day before, but some was new. Mostly about the astronomy and mathematical calculations they made to predict the end of the world (2012) and how much of what they predicted (what we call global warming) is happening. It was kind of scary what he was talking about but I decided I can’t let it rule my life so I’m trying not to think too much about it. They were an amazing culture though! They invented a calendar that is more precise than our modern day one and the temples they built were built by calculating and using different astronomical natural things (like sunrises and sunsets or equinoxes etc.). It was so amazing to listen to him talk but he gave us so much information in such a short time it was impossible to absorb it all! I will definitely be reading more about the Maya though because I was so interested in everything. We hiked and finally got to the main acropolis center with some temples. There were two temples and a ceremonial center (? Not quite sure…) and some living quarters. There were also some basket weaver birds (? Not sure on this either) that were hanging out in the big tree and had beautiful basket type nests and if you got to close would hang upside down and make this very strange but oddly beautiful noise. It was fun. Lewis talked more about the temples and what we were seeing but I remember very little because it was hot, noisy and so much information!! We did some hiking around the area, saw some stone carvings of the different rulers of Tikal that had hieroglyphic writing explaining what the ruler did. There were also some stone carvings of the sun and rain gods. The Maya uncovered on of these every 42(?) years depending on what “age” they were in. We also explored the living quarters and it was really neat because in between the modern graffiti was ancient Maya graffiti! You could see where the original occupants had written out their life stories. It was amazing. Some people than hiked to the top of the East temple…however I was a wimp. The stairs were wooden planks spread between wooden handrails (think the ladder to the hay loft at the zoo) and there were at least 100 of these steps and they were steep and very scary… and I’m scared of heights and ladders so I stayed at the bottom. I kind of regret it but I was afraid of freaking out and you could only go one way on the steps so it was alright. Once everyone was down it was more hiking to the next temple. We saw some more spider monkeys and some more stone carvings. The next temple all of a sudden appeared out of the trees. It was the largest temple in Tikal and one of the largest Mayan temples in the world. Only about half of it (the top half) is excavated so a lot of it is still dirt and jungle. I did climb to the top of this one because, while the stairs were the same kind, they weren’t as steep and they set against the mound so it wasn’t open air, they weren’t quite as intimidating. The view from the top was spectacular and the view of the tops of the two temples sticking through the trees was actually used in the first Star Wars movie as the rebel base center. I thought that was cool. We hung out on top for awhile and then had to do the (scary) climb down. More hiking more temples. We were kind of rushed through the last part which is too bad. Our guide was convinced it was later than it was and people were started to whine about being hungry and complaining about the hiking and if “they saw another temple they were going to lose it”. It was too bad because I was really enjoying it. We did see a couple more temples with scary stairs so I didn’t climb them and a couple more living quarters but we didn’t get the same amount of time to explore and learn about them. We did some kind of extreme hiking through the jungle on a path that wasn’t really a path but a drainage type ditch. It was kind of neat. We saw a Toucan and he was very cute. We finally got to where we were eating “lunch” (it was about 430 pm) and when we sat down I realized I was hungry. I hadn’t been hungry before though. I had the best fresh squeezed lemonade and then an ok grilled chicken with onions, rice and fries. I did some shopping at the gift stands after lunch and bought a few things. I should have bought more because stuff was really cheap in Guatemala (7 quetzals to 1 US dollar) but I was still trying to save money. On the long drive back most people slept as much as was possible on the roads and in the van. They had dinner for us when we got back. It was spaghetti, meat, sauce, salad, chips and salsa, and banana bread. It was an amazing day and probably one of my favorites on the trip J IT was early to bed this day though.
Day 4 Mar 11: Market, Butterfly farm, Mountain Pine Ridge
Today was an easier day, which is good because I’m pretty sure most of the people would have complained if we had another day like Tikal. The morning started a little later. Breakfast was at 730 and consisted of Fry Jacks (kind of a fried pastry type thing…very good!), Watermelon, eggs w/ hot peppers, and papaya juice. After breakfast we went down to a little market in the town of San Ignacio. It was basically a big flea market/rummage/7 mile fair. Not many souvenirs so I didn’t buy anything but some Jams to bring back. Someone bought bananas, about a dozen of them for 1 Belize dollar ($0.50 US). They were very good. Someone also bought a pineapple which we ate that night. My friend Gina bought some Pineapple wine which was not very good. After the market we tried to stop for ice cream in the best ice cream place in the world…but it didn’t open until 430pm L we never did get ice cream. We went back to the lodge and had some time to change before we headed out to the butterfly farm. The butterfly farm was ok…nothing too spectacular. It was run by a Dutch couple who had spent many years in Belize doing different naturalist things and decided to do the butterfly thing. Something interesting-the guy designs and consults for many butterfly gardens in the US and all over the world…he was in charge of designing and supplying the butterfly pupa for the special exhibit that came to the Milwaukee zoo in 2000 (the one people still ask us about!) They gave us the guides that were given out at the zoo. I thought that was kind of neat. We listened to them talk about how they care for the caterpillars, it was interesting but too much detail to keep me interested. Then we walked through the butterfly house. There were lots of BEAUTIFUL butterflies and I had 2 land on me! That was fun. After the butterfly farm we had about a 45 min drive to Mountain Pine Ridge Park. Apparently about 5 years ago this park got infested with the pine beetle which has destroyed almost all of the Caribbean pines that were in the area, so the park is not as beautiful as it once was…but I still thought it was pretty. We went on a jungle hike which would have been better if I had worn my tennis shoes instead of my sandals, since most jungle hikes are over rocks and tree stumps and up hills. Also it would have been better if I didn’t get stuck in back by the obnoxious people who didn’t want to be hiking and were talking loud and throwing things into the forest. I couldn’t really hear anything the guide was saying which was too bad. Really the only thing I heard/learned was that the Mayans had used a type of wild yam as a form of birth control and pharmaceutical companies have synthesized the active ingredient and use it for modern day birth control. We also saw a Tapir print (but no Tapir) and a fruit bat eating area. At the end of our hike was Rio Frio Cave. Belize is well known for their extensive cave system and Rio Frio Cave I guess is also somewhat famous, although I didn’t think it was that impressive. We were able to walk in and see the other side right away. It was still pretty nice though. Cool and there were some neat formations. We only spent about 10 minutes in the cave and then it was drive to the lunch area. Our lunch area overlooked Rio Frio Pools which I guess is where most people come to go swimming but we weren’t going there. It was very pretty! Lunch was the same as before, tuna or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a soda. No fruit or cookies this time though. After lunch it was a short drive to the parking area for big rock falls. We got out and were told we would have to take a pretty scary hike down to big rock falls. They weren’t lying. First we had to walk on a narrow path, over rocks and tree stumps and then it was the hill. The hill we had to climb down was very steep, pretty much straight down, and it was sandy with sporadic granite rocks jutting out. In order to get down we had to use a large cable that was coated with a vinyl. It was pretty scary. Once down to the falls, we had to jump from slippery granite rock to slippery granite rock to get to a location where we could put our stuff and get into the water. To safely get into the water we had to jump off of a small cliff. The water was pretty deep and the only place to stand was on slippery granite rocks so it was a bit challenging. There were two “pools” that we could swim in. The first one was the one we entered by jumping in, then we could swim across to the other one that was right next to the water fall. The pools were divided by a small “rapid” type falls which we were told not to slide down but people didn’t listen. If we wanted to, we could climb a vertical rock wall and up a short path and then jump off the cliff next to the falls, make sure to jump out far enough to miss the rock at the bottom, into the water. I kind of wanted to, but again, My sandals just were not the best so I stayed in the pool and watched everyone else jump. We spent about 2.5 hours there and then had to climb back up to the vans. This time it was harder going up than getting down. About 1.5 hours back to the resort and it was time for dinner. Another very good meal: Some kind of chicken, fresh tortillas, mashed potatoes, and chips with cheese sauce. Pretty much everyone went into town to go to the clubs this night, but I’m a bum so I stayed back with a couple other people and we talked and traded work stories. I’m kind of glad I stayed back because the earliest van got back at 4 am and most people didn’t seem to have a very good time.
Day 5: Mar 12 Canoe trip and Yal Bac day
We had the opportunity to sleep in until 730 today, but instead, we were awoken and 6am by some LOUD, OBNOXIOUS sounding crow x alarm clock bird. It was so obnoxious. Breakfast was at 745 and was very good bacon, normal scrambled eggs and tortillas. The original plan for the day was for everyone to get into a canoe and canoe 45 minutes UP RIVER to some resort, rest and then float back down stream. The owners of the resort laughed at our professor and instead drove us upstream and brought the canoes to us and then we went down river instead. Also it was a longer trip this way. It was 3 people to a canoe and since I’d never really been canoeing before I got to sit and relax in the middle. The canoe trip was pretty fun! We saw some iguanas and lots of bugs. We had to go over a couple little rapids and during one trip down a rapids our canoe turned sideways and while Gina and Liz were trying to get it going the right direction again we crashed into some trees on the bank! Our canoe almost tipped but luckily it was saved and we got out of the trees and were covered in little bugs and spiders. It was really scary but once we recovered, it was really funny! We survived all the rest of the rapids with few problems. We stopped at 5 star honeymoon resort and got some drinks and took a rest. I had a really nasty lemonade that was really just Fanta and lemon juice. We hung out there and did some swimming for about 1.5 hours and then had to continue on towards the resort. The rest of the canoe trip was about the same, more rapids, some rocks and lots of sun and heat. We got back and actually had a real, non sandwich lunch. It was some kind of rice, salad and good lemonade. We were given options then about what we were going to do the rest of the day. Some people went horseback riding and some people just stayed and hung out at the resort but me and 7 other people decided we were going to go out to a place called Yal Bac which was a much more rugged, not completely built yet, in the middle of the jungle Lodge that the owners were working on. In order to keep the group small and consisting of people our professor wanted to go, he lied and told everyone there were no bathrooms when really there were full functioning bathrooms. We left about 330 and it was about an hour drive out there, during which time we drove through the Mennonite community and also got to cross on another primitive river ferry. The roads were the worst out here and it was a rough ride but when we got there we were greeted by two little…spider monkeys! We were told beforehand that these little monkeys often interacted with the guests and they weren’t lying. After we got set up and sat down the little female monkey came to check us out. She was a little unsure at first but then Victor (the owner) got us some tortillas and once we fed her she was our best friend. We could touch her and she would come right up near us and she even climbed on my friend Jeff’s shoulder and hung out there. She was also a big show off. The male one never quite got comfortable with us. After we sat around for a bit and listened to the seemingly millions of howler monkeys we decided it was time to go for a hike and see if we could find them. We started down the road and turned off on this mowed path we were told to follow…except the mowed path was only about 100 feet and then it was into the deep dark jungle with only slight evidence of a path. We decided to follow it anyway and the howler monkeys kept getting louder and louder…they are horrible sounding and we were reminded of the movie Congo or something…it reminded me of a bad dream. Unfortunately me and 3 other people wimped out when the path disappeared completely and it was getting darker and the monkeys were getting louder and none of us really knew what to do if we encountered a snake/jaguar/peccary/howler monkey. But two of the boys kept going so we waited for them and as they got closer the monkeys got angrier and angrier sounding. They did find the monkeys and they said it was pretty intense and that the monkeys were barking and throwing things at them and started to get a little close so they left…which was probably wise. I wish I would have gone but I’m pretty sure that would have been too intense for me. We got back and sat around talking and playing with the nice spider monkeys until supper. Supper was the same as we’d had the first night there, chicken, rice, tortillas and some salad I think. After dinner we went out for a short night hike. We were hoping to see some jaguars or a tapir or something cool…but all we saw was a tarantula and some army ants. The guide that was taking us, Manuel, was talking to me the entire time in Spanish (since I had told him I spoke a little Spanish) at first it was a regular conversation, like I had been taught in Spanish class…then it turned pretty deep. He started talking about how his father died when he was 2 and how they had to flee El Salvador due to a civil war and when he was 8 years old he had to stop going to school and work so he could support his family…and lots of things like that and that was only the parts I could understand! My Spanish training did not prepare me for that….I’m not even sure I would have known how to respond in English. It was very sad and I felt very bad walking and talking with him and having him ask me things like what countries I’ve been to and school and stuff. It felt wrong to talk about everything I had and had done when he had so little. After the walk we were all pretty tired but we sat around talking for awhile and then some of us headed to bed. One of our guys fell asleep in the hammock in the pavilion and was awoken later by female spider monkey trying to crawl into the hammock with him. It was an entertaining story the next morning J